Janice Loves Baking: 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Raisins & Almond Chips Cupcakes and Choc Chips Cupcakes

Having a gathering with some mommies & their kids later. Decided to bake some cuppies since there will be quite a number of kids around.

Ingredient:

230g unsalted butter (soften @ room temperature)
160g sugar
4 eggs
200g self raising flour (sifted)
2 tbsp cocoa powder (sifted)
100 g chocolate chips

Method:

preheat oven to 160c
beat sugar and butter till pale & fluffy
add one egg at a time and mix till smooth.
fold in the flour and cocoa powder and mix well.
spoon batter into baking cup until about 60% full, spinkle some choc chips on top
bake in preheated oven for 20-25 mins
remove cupcakes and cool on a wire rack

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Custard Puff

Haven been feeling well recently so was too lazy to do any baking for Christmas. 2 of my nephews came visiting today so I tried out a new recipe. Custard Puff !!!

Ingredient for the puff:

130g butter
1 1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
180g plain flour (sifted)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Piping bags and nozzles

PS: for the custard, pls refer to the recipe at the fruit tarts tag.

Method:

Preheat the oven, grease baking tray or place a sheet of baking paper.
Melt butter, water, caster sugar & salt in a pot until butter is dissolved.
Fold in sifted flour, cook until the mixture form a soft dough (take about another 5 mins)
Transfer the hot dough into a mixing bowl, add the vanilla essence and beat it for about 5 mins to lower down the temperature of the hot dough.
Add one egg at a time and beat thoroughly for each addition. (make sure the dough does not cook the egg)
Beat until the mixture become smooth batter.
Transfer the batter into the piping bag and pipe onto tray.
Bake in preheat oven for 20 mins @ 200c, then reduce temp to 160c and bake for another 10 mins.
Let the puff cool down on a cooling rack.
Use a scissor to slit an opening and pipe in cream or custard.
Sift some icing sugar on the puff before serving.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Tart pastry
Ingredient:
350g plain flour
175g butter
100g sugar
1 egg

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 170 degree C
2. Cream butter and sugar until sugar is dissolved, add in the egg and mixed well.
3. Add in sifted plain flour slowly and mix until a dough holds together.
4. Divide dough into small portions (est. 20g) and place into tart moulds and press dough evenly onto moulds.
5. Bake at 170 degree for about 15 mins or until golden brown
6. Let the tart shell cool down before removing it from the moulds.

Custard
Ingredient:
500g water
150g sugar (I usually reduced the sugar)
50g butter
50g fresh milk
100g custard powder
1 egg

Method:
1. Boil water, sugar and butter together
2. Mix milk, egg and custard powder together and pour into above.
3. Cook over gentle fire until mixture thickens and pipe into baked tart shells.

PS: or you can get the instant custard powder from Phoon Huat. :P

For glazing :Boil together 1/2 tbsp agar agar powder, 130 ml water and 30g sugar until dissolved. Brush onto fruits. (note: Do not brush onto the tart shell)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Butter Cookies

My kids fell in love with Winnie the Pooh after visiting Hong Kong Disneyland. After looking high and low, I have also managed to find the Pooh & Piglet cookie cutters so here are the Pooh and Piglet cookies!!!

Ingredient:
100g butter, softened at room temperature
80g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
180g cake flour
20g corn flour

Method:
1. Sift cake flour and corn flour together and set aside.
2. mix sugar to the butter and cream till the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
3. Add in egg yolk and mix well.
4. Add sifted flour mixture in 2 ~ 3 additions, stir w/ spatula to form a soft dough.
5. Place dough in a plastic bag and flatten with rolling pin.
6. Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.
7. Remove dough from fridge. Roll out dough on slightly floured work surface (at this moment the dough may crack) If the dough appears to be a little to hard and breaks into pieces while rolling, leave it at room temperature for a few minutes. The dough will soften up and can be rolled easily.
8. cut out with slightly floured cookie cutters.
9. Bake at pre-heated oven at 175 degC for 15 ~ 20mins.
10. Let cool and store in air-tight container.

Japanese Cheesecake

I have made japanese cheesecake many times. The main differences between this cheesecake and a standard baked cheesecake is that the Japanese version is crustless, it uses less cream cheese, and that it has a whole lotta whipped egg whites for lightness. It is super, super fluffy! Below are some I have baked. :-)

Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
50g butter
100ml fresh milk
60g plain flour
20g corn flour
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
6 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
140g fine granulated / caster sugar

Method:

Whisk cream cheese, butter and milk in a bowl over a pot of water.
Cool the mixture.
Beat in egg yolks and lemon juice. Fold in flour and mix well.
Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk in cream of tartar and sugar.
Fold in egg white into cheese mixture
Pour into cake pan (do not grease pan) and bake in pre-heated oven (180 degrees) for five minutes and lower heat to 160 degrees.
Bake for an hour. Remove from oven and invert cake pans onto a cooling rack.
Leave to cool for 30 minutes before releasing cake from pan.

Egg Tarts

I love Egg Tart since young. It's a must when I go "Yum Cha". Below are Hong Kong style egg tarts with the shortcrust pastry. I must find some time to try out Portuguese egg tarts with the puff pastry. I love the crust to be crispy & the egg custard to be soft.

(Make about 10-12 egg tarts)

Ingredients for the crust:

225 gm plain flour

125 gm butter (soften)

55 gm sugar

1 egg (whisked)

1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar till is smooth, fluffy and light in color.
Add in whisked egg, half at a time and vanilla extract, mix well.
Sift in flour and make sure all ingredients combine well. Knead into dough.
Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness.
Cut and Line dough in the middle of tart tins, one by one.
Lightly press the dough with your thumbs, starting from the bottom then up to the sides.

Ingredients of custard:

3 eggs

110 gm caster sugar

225 gm hot water

85 gm evaporated milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Add sugar into hot water, mix until completely dissolved.
Whisk egg with evaporated milk. Pour in sugar water. Mix well.
Sift egg mixture to get rid of any foam.
Carefully pour egg mixture into the tart shell.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 170C.
Bake tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
Once you see the custard puffing up, pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches.
Then bake for another 10 -12 minutes until the custard is cooked through.

Fruits Tart

Tart pastry
Ingredient:
500g plain flour
250g butter
100g sugar
1 egg

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 170 degress C
2. Cream butter and sugar and add in the egg
3. Add in flour slowly and knead well.
4. Place into tart moulds and bake until golden brown

Custard
Ingredient:
500g water
150g sugar (I usually reduced the sugar)
50g butter
50g fresh milk
100g custard powder
1 egg

Method:
1. Boil water, sugar and butter together
2. Mix milk, egg and custard powder together and pour into above.
3. Cook over gentle fire until mixture thickens and pipe into baked tart shells.

For glazing :Boil together 1/2 tbsp agar agar powder, 130 ml water and 30g sugar until dissolved. Brush onto fruits. (note: Do not brush onto the tart shell)

Tarte au Chocolate

The wonderful thing about treating yourself with this chocolate tart recipe is that just a little bit will satisfy my chocolate craving. A tart shell filled with a creamy, rich chocolate ganache makes a fantastic but sinful dessert. :D

Chocolate Sablée

135g Cake flour, sifted
11 g Cocoa powder, sifted

65 g Butter, unsalted
50g Icing sugar, sifted
20 g Almond powder
30g Egg (abt 2 tbsp)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170^oC.

2. Mix flour and cocoa powder together in mixing bowl, rub in butter until looking like Brown) bread crumbs.

3. Add icing sugar and almond powder, mix well.

4. Create a well in the middle, add egg.

5. Knead out well to form a dough, which should come together nicely and not crumbly (too dry) or sticky (too wet). Add a little egg if necessary.

6. Roll-out dough to a 5mm thickness or big enough to cover a 7inch tart ring, cling wrap and let chill for about 15mins. Then gently press dough to line tart ring. Chill for about 15mins.

7. Prick holes into dough with a fork.

8. Bake at 170^oC for about 15-20mins, till the edge is crisp.

9. Let cool to room temperature.

Ganache

65 g Milk, full-cream

140g Chocolate, finely chopped

Method

1. Warm up milk.

2. Turn off heat then add milk into finely chopped chocolate, let it dissolve completely and sit in room temp, stir occasionally. Mixture will thicken.

3. Let cool to room temperature, add a little warm milk if ganache is too thick, pour into cooled chocolate tart shell. Let it set in room temperature, or in the chiller if you’re in a rush.

Chocolate decorations

200g Chocolate

Method

1. Dissolve chocolate over a double-boiler.

2. Let chocolate cool to body temperature, fill paper cone (baking paper or parchment) or piping bag, cut a small opening hole, design as desired on baking paper.

3. Let chocolate decorations chill for about 5mins.

Friday, October 29, 2010

OVEN BAKED DONUTS

I have been eyeing baked donut recipe for awhile after seeing many baking mommies I know baking it. Im so glad that I finally got to make it. :)

Ingredients :
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
150 gm UHT milk
1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method :

1. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

2. Combine the egg, milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla and mix well.

3. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

4. Coat the tube pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust with 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar. Divide batter among pans.

5. Bake at 180C for 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Snow Skin & Baked Mooncakes

Mid Autumn or Mooncake Festival
The Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival falls on the 15th day of the Chinese eighth lunar month. It is celebrated to signify the end of the harvest season. As it is associated with paper lanterns, it is also called the Lantern Festival.

Baked Mooncake